Chew on This: 8 Foods for Healthy Teeth

Tips for healthy teeth

Regular brushing and flossing help keep teeth healthy by getting rid of sugars and food particles that team up with bacteria to form plaque. Plaque produces acid that damages tooth enamel, causes cavities and sets the stage for periodontal, or gum, disease.

Now, a growing body of research is finding that certain foods may be good for teeth, too. Just as so-called "functional foods" may keep your heart healthy, for instance, others may promote oral health, according to Christine D. Wu, a pediatric dentistry researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Here are eight teeth-friendly foods that show promise.

Tea

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Tea

Compounds called polyphenols, found in black and green teas, slow the growth of bacteria associated with cavities and gum disease. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago found that people who rinsed their mouths with black tea for one minute, 10 times a day, had less plaque buildup on their teeth than people who rinsed their mouths with water. What's more, the size and stickness of their plaque was reduced.

In a 2010 study published in the Journal of Dental Research, Wu and her colleagues wrote that tea, especially black tea, fights halitosis, or bad breath. "Polyphenols suppress the genes of bacteria that control the production of smelly compounds in the mouth," Wu said.

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Cheese

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Cheese

Research published in the journal General Dentistry earlier this year reported that 12- to 15-year-olds who ate cheddar cheese had lower acid levels in their mouths than those who ate sugar-free yogurt or drank a glass of milk.

After eating the foods, the adolescents and teens rinsed their mouths with water. The acid, or pH, levels in their mouths were then measured 10, 20 and 30 minutes after rinsing. Those who drank milk or ate yogurt showed no change in their pH levels, but the cheese eaters had a rapid drop at each measurement interval.

Cheese may neutralize the plaque acid, said Wu, who was not involved in the cheese study. What's more, chewing increases saliva production. "Like a river, saliva washes out some of the bacteria in the mouth," she said.

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Raisins

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Raisins

Naturally sweet, raisins don't contain sucrose, or table sugar. Sugar helps bacteria stick to the tooth surface, letting them produce plaque, Wu said. Raisins are also a source of phytochemicals, which may kill cavity-causing plaque bacteria. Some compounds in raisins also affect the growth of bacteria associated with gum disease, Wu has found.